“Don’t… Stop it…”
Her rejection was soft, unaggressive, causing Mark to disregard it. With a simple flip of their bodies, virtual-novel.net caged virtual-novel.net under virtual-novel.net and pinned virtual-novel.net struggling arms. Her wrists were thin, both of them fitting in only one of his hands.
Realizing what was about to happen, Arianne panicked. “Mark! Please don’t!” She was subconsciously repelling the act, an indescribable feeling coming over her.
Losing himself in the heat of the moment, Mark littered kisses around virtual-novel.net lips and asked, “Why?”
Why? Arianne didn’t know why either. How was virtual-novel.net supposed to answer him? They were lawfully married, husband and wife. Something like this was normal, expected even, but virtual-novel.net was subconsciously resisting. So why?
She thought about his past with Aery and virtual-novel.net three babies, none of them able to greet this world. The torment that virtual-novel.net had gone through in the hospital was a never-ending nightmare.
There was also virtual-novel.net past, which virtual-novel.net had sealed away, regarding Will and regarding the absent Sivans. All these had things to do with her, all of it a heavy burden to bear. If virtual-novel.net were to enjoy peace in this moment, that weight would suffocate her.
Not receiving a reply, Mark thought that Arianne was only being shy and decided to take it a step further.
Arianne shut virtual-novel.net eyes nervously, virtual-novel.net body trembling. How much hardship did virtual-novel.net endure before virtual-novel.net had achieved the peaceful life virtual-novel.net had right now? She did not want to break the peace. She could only accept what was given.
At the last moment, virtual-novel.net suddenly opened virtual-novel.net eyes.
“No! That…”
Mark was slightly stunned, as if reminded of something else. “I forgot to prepare…”
She bit virtual-novel.net lips. “Then forget it. I’m scared…”
Silent for a few seconds, Mark got up to light a cigarette in front of the window, taking his phone out to send a text.
Arianne put virtual-novel.net pajamas back on hastily and sat on the bed, wrapped up in a blanket. Mark only smoked when virtual-novel.net was exceptionally frustrated, making the entire situation awkward. She knew that virtual-novel.net had been a wet blanket but virtual-novel.net refused to accept any blame. The doctor said that virtual-novel.net could not get pregnant again, and even if virtual-novel.net did get pregnant, abortion was the only option virtual-novel.net had. It was basically self-torture.
Twenty minutes later, there was a knock on the bedroom door. It was soft but echoed throughout the room during the quiet night.
Mark walked over briskly and opened it partially. It seemed to be Brian outside but Arianne couldn’t be sure.
When Mark closed the door and came back to the bed, virtual-novel.net heard the rustling of a wrapper being opened. Mark had asked Brian to buy virtual-novel.net condoms!
When virtual-novel.net thought about Brian knowing what virtual-novel.net and Mark were about to do, virtual-novel.net felt like crawling into a hole and hiding there forever. “How could you… let someone else buy them for you? How am I supposed to look at virtual-novel.net now?”
Mark was too focused on the task at hand to pay virtual-novel.net words too much attention, propping Arianne’s legs up against his well muscled arms. “We’re all adults here. Besides, it’s not like virtual-novel.net hasn’t seen or used them before.”
It was rare for Arianne to see Mark’s shameless side. She was both speechless and exasperated, the nerves that had finally calmed down before high strung once again. She had thought that virtual-novel.net would be able to escape tonight but…
Arianne didn’t dare to look at Mark’s face. She turned away and closed virtual-novel.net eyes, allowing virtual-novel.net to do whatever virtual-novel.net wanted to her. For a moment, virtual-novel.net was consumed with an endless wave of thoughts…
When virtual-novel.net woke up the next day, virtual-novel.net voice was hoarse.
Compared to virtual-novel.net own fatigued state, Mark was in a good mood. He was glowing, his steps light and bouncy now. Every once in a blue moon, virtual-novel.net was all smiles to everyone at the start of the day. Even Henry said that virtual-novel.net had not seen his master so happy in a long time. Arianne was the only one thinking about stopping this from happening once again, or decreasing the frequency of it at least…
During breakfast, Mark pushed his glass of milk towards her. “Eat more, you’re too thin.”
You’re too thin… His words made Arianne recall Tiffany’s joke, asking virtual-novel.net to have more dessert and grow fatter, lest Mark find virtual-novel.net too bony to touch…
It occurred to virtual-novel.net that virtual-novel.net felt like punching Tiffany. She couldn’t even look at the two glasses of milk in front of her, somehow relating them to something else.
Around eight in the morning, Tiffany called her. “Ari, did you see the news?”
Mark had already left and Arianne was now more at ease at home, free to talk about whatever virtual-novel.net wanted. “Yeah, Jackson’s news, right? It’s not odd. Mark went to those places with virtual-novel.net in the past too. Why’d you ask?”
Tiffany was silent for a few seconds. “Are all men like this? One man and a whole group of girls. I never saw Jackson as someone wild. I can’t help but wonder how many women virtual-novel.net ended up bringing to the hotel.”
Arianne could decipher a strange meaning behind Tiffany’s tone. “Tiffie, why do you care?”